Abstract
The present study describes the seasonal changes in biochemical composition of two species of oysters Crassostrea iridescens Hanley and Crassostrea corteziensis Hertlein, which differ markedly in their habitat and times of reproduction. The two oysters were sampled monthly from the Northwest coast of Mexico, between August 1987 and May 1988. Mean percentage values of the main components with seasonal extremes in parentheses, were, for C. iridescens: proteins 37.9 (30.3–43.5), carbohydrates 38.6 (31.9–48.4) lipids 11.2 (9.6–14.0) and ash 11.3 (8.7–14.6); and for C. corteziensis: proteins 49.3 (40.9–55.5), carbohydrates 19.3 (3.9–31.1), lipids 14.1 (7.5–19.3) and ash 17.4 (11.1–27.7). Seasonal variations in the biochemical composition were evident in the two specimens. In C. iridescens, lipids decreased in autumn and increased in spring, carbohydrates showed a opposite pattern, while protein levels increased in late spring when gametogenesis and maturation occur in this species. In C. Corteziensis, the protein content had the lowest values in winter and the lipids showed a variation similar to proteins. Carbohydrate concentrations were higher in the soft tissue of C. iridescens than in C. corteziensis. The decline in carbohydrate in both mollusks was coincident with the stage of gametogenesis.
Published Version
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